TORONTO, May 2, 2024 /CNW/ - National charity Prosper Canada today announced renewal of a 3-year, $3 million sponsorship from TD Bank Group to expand the impact and reach of its Benefits Wayfinder, a bilingual online tool that simplifies the search for government benefits for people seeking ways to boost their incomes and/or reduce their expenses.
The Benefits Wayfinder was launched in January 2022. In November 2022, a companion tool, the Disability Benefits Compass, was added to help people living with disabilities to successfully navigate challenging application processes for federal and provincial disability income supports.
To date, over 300,000 people across Canada have used the Benefits Wayfinder and over 70,000 people have used the Disability Benefits Compass to identify benefits they are likely eligible for but not receiving, and find out how to access them.
In the words of one user in Montreal – "The Benefits Wayfinder really opened my eyes to some benefits that I didn't know existed. For example, the child support benefit. As a new immigrant, this whole system is new to me and complicated but once I met with [frontline organization] ACEF-SOM and they showed me this website, it was helpful."
TD's renewed sponsorship will enable 250,000 more financially struggling Canadians to build their financial literacy and security by learning about and accessing unclaimed income benefits; support 300 more frontline organizations to integrate the Benefits Wayfinder into their services to better support their clients; and train an additional 3,000 frontline service providers to use the tool.
"We are deeply appreciative of TD's renewed investment at this critical time when so many households are struggling to make ends meet," said Elizabeth Mulholland, CEO of Prosper Canada. "TD's support will enable us to continue improving the Benefits Wayfinder and the Disability Benefits Compass, making it even easier for eligible Canadians to learn about and access benefits they are not yet receiving. It will also enable us to equip more organizations and frontline service providers to use these tools to help people with low incomes build their financial security," added Mulholland.
"As Canadians continue to navigate the higher cost of living, TD remains committed to helping increase access to financial literacy tools so individuals can feel more confident about their finances. That's why we're proud to continue our support for Prosper Canada as it expands the reach of the Benefits Wayfinder tool to help boost financial empowerment for low-income individuals across the country," said Robyn Small, Senior Manager, Philanthropy, Sustainability & Corporate Citizenship, TD Bank Group.